Happy Endings
by Jun-I
Summary: As a low-ranking soldier during the Great War, young Kyuuzou faces the machinations of high-ranking samurai, the loss of his comrades, and finally the passing of the samurai's world. Pre-series. Kyuzo's prequel to Retribution. Sequel to Wolf Warriors.
1. A Commoner's Pride

**Warnings:** Kyuzo and OCs are of minority sexual orientation/gender identity.

**Notes:  
**- The events in this fic happen when Kyuuzou was 17. (That is, Mizu and Haru were no longer in his battalion, leaving only Ayame)

- For simplicity, I'm assuming the armies in Samurai 7 did not have separate messes for soldiers of different ranks (except that maybe senior officers have their own)

- Kyuzo's 'sisters' are not his biological sisters. They are his Sensei's older students. They are no male characters' love interests.

- Sadamitsu first appears in Chapter 7 of Wolf Warriors

**Vocab:**  
_heimin_ – commoner(s) (people who are not court nobles, samurai or religious functionaries)  
_akindo_ – (member of) merchant class  
_eta_ or _hinin_ – (member of) outcast castes (known collectively as _burakumin_ in the present day)  
_okama _– slang for homosexual male  
_yuri_ – literally lily, slang for lesbianism  
_nanshoku-zuki_ – lover of men  
_joshoku-zuki_ – lover of women  
_taisho_ – general, sometimes captain  
_boku_ – I, typically used only by males to refer to self

**Vocab note:** Per the nonfiction work _Male Colors_: _The Construction of Homosexuality in Tokugawa Japan_, _nanshoku-zuki_ (literally 'lover of male eroticism') was in the past used to refer to men with a taste for male youths. (The traditional form of Japanese homosexuality was age-set, as it is for many other cultures) But I'm using the term more loosely here, out of its original context, to refer to men who like men (without age limitations) in general.

* * *

"Watch out!! You're turning into someone else's lane!" Master Sergeant Ayame shouted at the trainee. Seated next to her in the cockpit of the Benigumo's flying sword, Kyuuzou complied instantly with the officer's command, swerving left on the 4 lane road leading back to the military base of their battalion.

"But really, _senpai_, there was no one in the other lane," The irritated voice inside Corporal Kyuuzou's head was addressing Master Sergeant Ayame, not that his commanding officer could necessarily hear his thoughts.

"Is learning to drive this really a necessary skill for an Light Infantry soldier?" Corporal Kyuuzou wondered while keeping the giant sword coasting above ground at the ideal elevation for a practice run – not too high as to waste fuel defying gravity, and not too low as to risk scraping the vessel's bottom against the asphalt.

The giant swords and cannons, wielded by giant mecha on both sides of the war, had interfaces that allowed them to be piloted by a human when detached from the robot. But young Kyuzou heard more seasoned samurai say that it was rare for the Feddies to use humans to pilot these giant weapons in actual battles.

Nevertheless, the higher ups were of the opinion that as many members of the ground forces as possible should learn to pilot at least one mecha weapon – an incapacitated robot who fell out of the sky could potentially have part of its offensive capabilities immediately transferred to human troops while the war robot was out of commission.

Regardless of the explanations behind policies set by those up the chain of command, the youthful samurai still hated driving these giant military pilotable swords and cannons, especially with Third Sister sitting next to him.

"If Ayame had not been the one to teach me to drive, then I might have stood a chance of actually enjoying driving," Kyuuzou exhaled silently, his eyes focused on the road ahead.

The youthful samurai was about to make the right turn back into the base when Master Sergeant Ayame barked, "Watch your turn!"

Kyuuzou felt his annoyance grow. There were no other vehicles around to watch out for. Besides, he was ALREADY looking out after his first mistake. Why did she think she needed to remind him a second time? He knew Third Sister was trying to be helpful, but why couldn't she realize after all these years that she only had to tell him of his mistake once, and he would remember it? But he chose to keep his silence before the golden-eyed woman, as he had always done.

Carefully steering the Benigumo blade into the hangar, the young soldier parked the sword without incident. If he had so much as bumped the blade against a wall or a curb, he would have been subjected to another nagging session. Kyuuzou, mildly proud of his minor achievement, disembarked with a little more haste than was his custom.

The master sergeant followed him, stepping out of the cockpit.

"I won't be joining you at mess today. I have a meeting," she said.

Kyuuzou bowed in acknowledgement. His cool expression hiding his sense of relief, he glanced briefly at her departing figure before he headed for the mess hall, hoping to share a meal with no companion except peace and solitude.

But while Kyuuzou could spin a cocoon of solitude even in a crowd, peace proved a little more elusive.

The moment the crimson-eyed boy entered the mess hall, he heard the samurai men at the table in the left corner say, "Isn't that the _okama_ younger brother of the Taisho of the Yuri Company?"

Their conversation continued even as the willowy samurai walked towards the food counter.

"Shhh… he can hear you."

"Nah, he's too far away."

"That Ayame can hear people whisper from thirty meters away. Maybe Kyuuzou has that ability too. Those people from Captain Haruko's dojo are weird."

Kyuuzou felt his blood pressure rise slightly. He did not know why people just assumed he was an _okama_. He was no _joshoku-zuki_, for sure, but he was no _nanshoku-zuki_ either. The androgynous warrior was simply asexual, or so he believed.

"These ignorant people have no concept of asexuality as a valid sexual orientation!" He thought. Similarly, those gossips that Kyuuzou considered "samurai who had nothing better to do" came to erroneous conclusions about his _senpai_ Ayame. In addition to having Haruko for _senpai_, Ayame seemed to have many lesbian samurai friends. That earned her the nickname of 'Taisho of the Yuri Company", not that Ayame was anywhere close to becoming a _taisho_. Even by the end of the war, she had only just achieved the rank of Captain. But of course, no one in their right mind would call the bad tempered soldier "Taisho of the Yuri Company" to her face.

Kyuuzou rounded the serving counter, casting a casual glance at the menu items available. Instead of picking up his mess tray, he strolled towards the end of the hall, taking a roundabout route towards the gossips' table.

Big Sister Haruko always told her _kouhai_ to ignore idle talk. "Don't sink to their level. Rise above the opinions of humans." was Tashiro _senpai_'s advice. But occasionally, proud young Kyuuzou felt the temptation to slap those idle talkers who cast aspersions on the personal honor of himself or his _senpai_. He was chaste as dictated by the Southern rural standard for an ideal young man; his reputation, in his opinion, should reflect the purity of ice and the loftiness of jade. The androgynous samurai believed Third Sister, like himself, was oriented towards neither men nor women. Like him, she showed no interest in that sort of thing. There were always other things to do, for crying out loud. Kyuuzou could see a much more mundane explanation for his senpai's strange status as yuri-lovers' magnet. There were not at all many female samurai across the battalion, and minorities tend to spend their off-duty time together for social support. Ayame happened to have the leadership qualities and personal charisma that made her the center of a social network. The gossips' labels had no basis.

Even so, Kyuuzou theoretically agreed with Tashiro _senpai_'s admonition against letting mean men provoke him to anger. It was perhaps only childish curiosity that led him to approach the table of gossiping samurai. Meaning only to eavesdrop, the boy had no definite intention of confronting them, at least not until he heard the officer named Tadatsuna say, "They shouldn't have promoted that _akindo _woman so quickly. Now she acts so uppity. Thinks she can order real samurai around. _Heimin_ shouldn't be learning _bujutsu_, in my opinion. It makes them forget their place."

Another man responded, "What's that Kyuuzou person anyway? He was definitely not born a samurai…"

Tadatsuna continued. "Who knows what he is? Perhaps even an _eta_ for all we know … the military is getting overrun with _heimin_ recruits who think they understand _bushido_. What's her name – that woman of peasant birth - had the archery and riding skills of a samurai from a high-ranking family! What's the world coming to? Whoever trained her ought to be shot."

"Good thing she mechanized and transferred to another regiment. We no longer have to watch her insufferable show-offishness in the archery range."

Mizuho had never been a show off. Kyuuzou's ire rose considerably at these comments, but the samurai chattered on, oblivious to the eavesdropper.

"It's all that Captain Tashiro Haruko's fault – bringing in one commoner after another. She doesn't seem to understand most samurai don't share her taste for low company. Good thing they transferred her to Special Operations."

"Special Ops? So that's where she went? Unusual career trajectory for a samurai, isn't it? Most special ops soldiers are from the ninja clans. Which samurai would lower himself/herself to do that dirty work?"

So, now they were insulting Big Sister too? Kyuuzou's blood pressure rose even further.

The silent samurai, with a deliberate calmness, crept up to Tadatsuna's table.

"So, three heimin in the battalion means that the place is 'overrun' by commoners?" The gossiping samurai were startled by a cold voice behind them. They turned to face a skinny red-eyed boy.

Kyuuzou smirked. This _heimin_ was going to kick their samurai bottoms.

--

The young samurai found himself in military court for 'assault' and assault of a higher ranking officer, at that.

"It is utterly dishonorable for samurai to be involved in a mess hall brawl."

"Specialist Kyuuzou started it first. He poured a bowl of steaming ramen over my head!"

"And what do you have to say for yourself, Specialist Kyuuzou?"

"The bowl of ramen was NOT steaming. It was lukewarm," came the red-eyed samurai's sullen reply. "And if you are talking about honor, I had no choice. Lieutenant Tadatsuna made disparaging remarks about Captain Haruko of Special Ops and Master Sergeant Mizuho of the 51st Squadron. He also called my commanding officer Master Sergeant Ayame a 'crazy castrating bitch!'"

"But I was merely stating an observable fact!"

Fortunately for the young samurai, the case was dismissed after both parties were 'censured'. The army did not want to discharge a 'super-soldier' like Kyuuzou. During the mess hall brawl, he single-handedly defeated 10 samurai in empty hand combat. Besides, it really could have been worse. The commanders knew when verbal insults against a samurai's 'kin' were involved, the whole matter could have easily degenerated into a death duel. It would only be a matter of time before someone makes another snide comment about either of the commoners-turned-samurai and sets off another brawl. It would probably be a good idea to transfer Ayame or Kyuuzou to another battalion eventually. The question was which of the two should go.

* * *

**History Notes:**

_**Non-samurai as outstanding practitioners of bujutsu, and the crossing of class lines**_

- As for the possibility of people of non-samurai birth (e.g. Kyuzo, Ayame and Mizuho) being better fighters than many samurai, the nonfiction book _Secrets of the Samurai: The Martial Arts of Feudal Japan_ listed a number of examples of legendary fighters who were not samurai:

"_During the decline of the Tokugawa, for example, "The Tokaido's Number-One Boss," Jirosho of Shimizu (1820-93)… belonged to the merchant class…. Going back even further in time to the more rigidly controlled period of the early Tokugawa era, the famous Chobei of Banzuin, chief of the Otokodate in Edo, was a chonin (townsman, part of merchant class), not a military retainer."_

- As for the possibility of people of non-samurai origin, e.g. Kyuzo, Ayame and Mizuho, becoming samurai, "the leaders who shaped the military history of Japan for centuries to come (Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, Kato Kiyomasa) were originally of peasant stock." (Ratti/Westbrook, Secrets of the Samurai) Hideyoshi was in fact born a peasant. He rose through the samurai ranks but could not become shogun because of his non-samurai birth. So the emperor made him regent. (an even higher office than shogun)

- The resentment of soldiers of samurai birth against first generation samurai (those not born in samurai families) is inspired by the resentment of the aristocratic class against the newly rising samurai class (comprised mostly of non-nobles of peasant stock) in the 10th century. The non-fiction book _Secrets of the Samurai_ mentions "the resentment felt by the crown toward those 'people of all ranks' who were making their power felt, often in direct opposition to the administration and its provincial tax collectors," "although there are indications … that many a leader of the new, emerging class of warriors in the tenth century was of aristocratic lineage, it appears equally true that the great majority of them were not."

- The Tokugawa class structure placed farmers in theory as the highest heimin class (in fact, I've read in _Secrets of the Samurai_ the top-ranking peasants chieftains had higher social status than the lowest ranking samurai), followed by artisans, then merchants, then outcasts. In reality, money speaks louder than class status, so poorer peasants often found themselves close to the bottom of the heap.

_**The role of ninja in relation to samurai**_

Samurai clans used ninjas to do the 'dirty work' since ninjas were not bound by the same codes of 'honorable combat' which governed samurai. (Secrets of the Samurai, Ratti/Westbrook)


	2. Glory and Death

It was not long after his dismissed court martial that Kyuuzou went forth with his battalion to retake the city of Ginpa in Banraku County. Ayame had given her morale speech to her squad before they were to go into battle. As usual, the five-foot-tall samurai who called himself Sadamitsu was the first squad member to declare his support loudly.

"My sword is ever at your service, Ayame-dono!" Sadamitsu, whose given name was Sadako, declared. "I will follow you to battle and to death!"

The male samurai from another squad nearby snickered at impassioned declaration of the vertically-challenged biologically-female-but-socially-male samurai who self-referenced as 'boku'. The men were probably laughing about some phallic joke at the expense of the short soldier from Haruko's clan, the sort of joke that Kyuuzou did not consider very funny. But in spite of himself, the chilly samurai sometimes found the antics of Sadamitsu/Sadako mildly amusing to observe. In their battalion, there were not many individuals widely considered to be queerer than Kyuuzou, but Sadamitsu was one of them and Kyuuzou was secretly glad there was someone even weirder than he was. It was quite obvious that of all the yuri-loving samurai who gravitated to Third Sister, Sadamitsu was the Number One 'fanboy'. But Sadamitsu had never once openly declared his personal admiration for his superior.

"At least he still has some sense of place and propriety, unlike some immodest men." Kyuuzou had noted quietly.

Their battalion had now moved into position on the outskirts of Ginpa. From what Kyuuzou had been told of the plan, the mecha from the Aerial Assault Forces would provide cover for the light infantry, who could then secure the city's four gates.

While waiting for the signal to move, Kyuuzou eyed the sorry remains of the few houses that stood outside the city walls, dwellings destroyed by shelling and bombing. As before other battles, the youthful samurai was especially conscious of the fact that this might well be his last hour. Kyuuzou was not particularly distressed by the thought, but he did not particularly want to die either. He was still looking for something, someone he might never find. And until then, he would prefer to stay alive.

But just in case this was indeed his last hour, he let his wishes, or rather, his private thoughts, drift up to what he had oftentimes considered to be an indifferent Heaven. What it would be like if the world was a place in which Ayame could be happy? A world where people were not raped and murdered. Then maybe Third Sister would not be so angry most of the time. Maybe she would not scold him so harshly when she got into an ugly mood. Maybe Third Sister would be able to forget the mistakes and losses of the past and someday find her peace.

Then he mentally offered to the All-Seeing Sky his vision of a happy ending for Mizuho. Now that Second Sister was a large mecha, she could no longer eat at the same table with them like she used to. But maybe, just maybe, the war would end soon. And they could build Mizuho a big house. Somewhere near her parents' village. Or near Sensei's. Could she read books and paint pictures like she used to when she was human? Well, she can probably still draw pictures in the sand with a tree trunk.

As for Haruko, Kyuuzou believed she was already happy. Or if she was not, she did not show it. After the war, she would return to Sensei, inherit the dojo, and Sensei could retire and spend her senior years in peace. Big Sister would be the new Sensei. The samurai woman used to have a good number of peasant 'girlfriends' chasing after her. Maybe, finally, she will pick one woman. Or she might want to continue to bask in all that attention. Still, Big Sister was not that young anymore. She was now 32. Most of her old admirers were probably already married. It would be good if someone was around to take care of Haruko when she got old. Maybe she would adopt a good daughter. Or maybe even two. Or maybe if she did not have daughters, her students will still come to visit her in her old age.

"Maybe," Kyuuzou thought. "If I survive the war, I can one day visit Sensei and Haruko in their old age too."

After all, he had no parents left to take care of. That dark samurai made sure of that.

But the silent samurai never imagined the possibility of his own happy ending. Kyuuzou was content to be a man with no past and no future. He just lived from day to day, battle to battle, waiting for some kind of meaningful resolution to this unworthy life that those dear to him had died to save.

At that thought, a sudden tightness seized his heart. But he ignored it, releasing his breath in slow, even measures, focusing his mind to the battle ahead.

-

Kyuuzou, his keen red eyes scanning the horizon, observed the Confederated Army's flying mecha moving in from the south. The attack on the city had began. To the young man's mild surprise, air cover was quite limited. The absence of Red Spiders aside, the gaggle of Yakans that showed up was just a fraction of a squadron.

The ground forces followed on signal, knowing that they would be taking fire from the enemy despite the first pass by friendly aerial forces. The thinly-spread cover of Yakans could not possibly eliminate most of the enemy resistance.

"Squads 1, 2 and 3 have orders to lead the way for Squad 4," Squad 1 leader Ayame reminded Kyuuzou and his comrades of their duty. Two air controllers, human samurai from the Aerial Assault Forces, were attached to Squad 4. Once the Confederated infantry gained entry to the city, air controllers embedded in the ground troops could direct air strikes against more specific targets to aid the progress of the infantry and avoid civilian casualties as far as possible.

The larger part of the defense over the East Gate must have succumbed to the fire of the Yakans; Kyuuzou's platoon breached the city wall without much resistance. But once inside the city, the attackers were met by the occupying samurai who fought them for each block of territory. Kyuuzou observed with mixed emotions that there was no sign of civilian inhabitants in the blocks near the city gate. Many of the buildings had already been severely damaged by the shelling that occurred when their foe, the Allied Forces, first took the city, The houses still left standing appeared uninhabited. The fortunate thing was that there were no innocent bystanders around to be caught in the current fighting; the unfortunate thing, Kyuuzou concluded, was that the original inhabitants of this neighborhood had most likely already been killed or displaced.

But in the death zone, there was no time for further considerations of the aftermath of war. His main concern was the survival of himself and his comrades. Youthful Kyuuzou, his twin blades cutting a swath of red through the defenders, thought that the tide of battle was flowing smoothly in his company's favor - until Squad 1 reached the fourth block.

A sharp beam of light shot out somewhere ahead. To his left, Sadamitsu stumbled. Kyuuzou, without thinking, caught his falling comrade reflexively and dove into a narrow alley.

"Take cover!" Their commanding officer shouted, deflecting a laser beam and then another with her swords.

"Already done that," Kyuuzou mentally responded as the other Squad 1 members sought cover, rolling into side streets and diving behind rubble piles. Ayame darted into Kyuuzou's alley, having narrowly escaped being hit by the Tobito laser sweeping the streets. She cast a glance at Sadamitsu, torso seared open shoulder to waist by the laser beam, gray uniform turning black with blood.

"I saw it… Tobito … domed building on the right…" The wounded soldier whom Kyuuzou propped against the wall was still speaking even with blood spilling from his mouth.

Neither Kyuuzou nor Ayame saw the Tobito, but they judged from the direction that the shots were still coming from that there was only one sniper.

Master Sergeant's face was stony but when she looked at Sadamitsu, her lips quirked almost unnoticeably in what Kyuuzou thought was an expression of pity. Regardless, she wasted no time speaking into her radio. "Squad 1 leader to Squad 4! Tobito sniper in domed building on south side of 4th Street, Eastern Quarter. Requesting air cover. Take care not to hit us. We're only 100 meters east of target."

"Ryokai!" came the reply. "Air controllers will call for cover. Wait for our status."

"Now we have to watch and wait." Ayame said, dropping down on one knee beside the injured soldier who had followed her so faithfully.

"Master Sergeant… I really wanted… to live… to see you become taisho…"

"What kind of joke is this?" The warrior woman said with a calm smile even though her yellow eyes were not smiling. "I won't become a taisho, but you will live!"

"Ayame-dono… I once wished… that maybe when the war is over… and we don't have to work together anymore… then maybe we can be friends…" The samurai who called himself Sadamitsu coughed up even more blood.

"Of course! You will survive, and we can be friends!" declared Kyuuzou's Third Sister. This time there was no answer from Sadamitsu. Just as the samurai expired, Ayame's radio came to life. "Squad 4 leader to Squad 1 leader: the two Yakans assigned to cover our company are not responding to our requests. They might have been shot down or otherwise incapacitated."

"Understood," her voice was calm, but her lips curled into an annoyed snarl.

Master Sergeant turned to Kyuuzou, her snarl reversing itself into a twisted smile. "Little Sister, you are taller than me now. Your legs are longer and you can leap further. If I can dance before the Tobito for a half a minute, you should be able to reach the domed building down the street."

Kyuuzou acknowledged his orders with a slight nod. There was no room for failure. If they couldn't finish off the Tobito, their squad was finished. The Tobito, with its strategic position and superior targeting capabilities, could stay in its high hiding place and snipe them off one by one. The only thing that could score a direct hit on the Tobito was their own air cover, but that help wasn't going to arrive anytime soon.

The boy rose to his feet, dispassionately watching his sister pass her hand over Sadamitsu's face, closing those dead eyes. For a moment, Kyuuzou felt sorry that he ever laughed at Sadamitsu, even if only in his thoughts.

Ayame took a deep breath. Then she stood up resolutely, drew her swords and cast away her scabbards before dashing into the brightness of the street. Once out in the open, Master Sergeant pointed her right blade in the direction of the domed building, at the metal monster that she could not see. The Tobito trained its sights on the unimposing-looking human samurai making this defiant gesture of challenge.

At the same time, Kyuuzou sprung into action. Performing a running leap against one alley wall, the young man then ricocheted off the opposite wall of the alley, propelling himself up to the nearest low roof. His movements went unnoticed by the enemy whose eye was on the dark-haired samurai dancing with death in the open street.

The other Squad 1 members watched Ayame sprinting towards the unseen foe, alternately dodging and deflecting the searing beams of deadly light.

"Master Sergeant is so swift, she might actually make it down the street to that building," Kyuuzou's squadmate Masahiko felt his hopes rise. "But how is she going to get into the building without putting herself in even greater danger?"

At this very moment, the severed head of the Tobito flew out of a third story window of the domed building, bounced off the asphalt and rolled down the street, its severed circuits exposed for all to see.

Kazuya and Yoshiro stared open-mouthed from their place of concealment. Who did that? It wasn't Ayame, who was still in the street. Their answer came when their Master Sergeant turned to them and shouted. "Kyuuzou has prevailed! The way ahead is clear! Let not Sadamitsu have perished in vain!"

With a strange cry of triumph mixed with grief, Kyuuzou's Squad 1 comrades emerged from cover and raised their swords. Leading the way, the officer threw herself back into the battle.

It wasn't until quite a while after they had retaken Ginpa that Kyuuzou came to know the Confederated Army's Aerial Assault Forces were stretched thin. Between fighting offensive aerial battles against the Allied Air Force and defending ground bases and airborne fortresses from the enemy, the Aerial units could only spare a limited number of smaller mechas to support ground troops like Kyuuzou's light infantry. But the use of Yakans proved a failure in a low-level close air support mission like this one. The 'tea kettles' were particularly vulnerable to small arms fire; even low tech weapons like flaming arrows could take them down. Hence, after the preliminary air strike over Ginpa, there were fewer Yakans left than the infantry soldiers were counting on.

No one spoke of these miscalculations during the victory celebration. The samurai of Platoon 3 were praised and honored for their glorious exploits. But the toasted hero Kyuuzou wondered briefly if it was 'glory' to serve as cannon fodder or laser targets.

Could there be a better way of doing things? The young man did not know. So he resigned himself to listening to the praises and high speeches about 'glory' and 'reputation' and 'worthy deaths' with a degree of detachment.

--

**Author's Comments:**

According to Secrets of the Samurai, throwing away one's scabbard in battle indicated a readiness to fight unto death. (The sword would never be sheathed again)


	3. Honor and Debt

**Comments:**

- In reality, a human would not be able to acclimatize to altitude change so quickly, but suspend your disbelief for a bit. The humans on whatever planet S7 is set on seem to be much more hardy than Earthlings – even the white-uniformed Kougakyo Police perform gravity-defying feats.

- Control areas are different height ranges 'controlled' by air traffic controllers. Above them is 'uncontrolled airspace'.

- Mizuho (minor character and NOBODY's love interest) is not Kyuuzou's biological sister. She is his Sensei's senior student. Older than him by 7 years. As to why she owes him money, see Wolf Warriors Chapter 10.

- The first set of song lyrics are partially inspired by one version of the Getsumei Fuuei ending theme for 12 Kingdoms. This set of lyrics can be sung to the 12K melody.

- The second poem is inspired by Over the Sky, the closing theme of Last Exile. It can be sung to part of the melody of Over the Sky.

* * *

Kyuuzou never told anyone, but he thought the 'sisterhood' was not the same after Mizuho senpai left.

About ten months after Mizuho departed for the 51st Squadron, Haruko senpai accepted a transfer to Special Forces. Taking Tashiro Haruko's place as Platoon 3's commander was a certain Lieutenant Sakae, a transfer from another company in the same battalion. Kyuuzou, having little opportunity to interact directly with the new officer, neither liked nor disliked him. It was a full 8 months after the new commander first reported for duty when Corporal Kyuuzou and his platoon commander had their first one-on-one conversation.

Lieutenant Sakae summoned Kyuuzou to his office shortly after they were rotated back from the front. After the expected formalities, Sakae praised his subordinate. "Your courageous act of risking your life to save your comrades in Ginpa has brought glory to our entire company, not to imply that this is the full extent of your honorable achievements. I heard about your brilliant exploits at Komoku Pass long before I transferred to this company."

"Calling my actions at Komoku Pass 'brilliant exploits' might be a bit of an over-statement." Kyuuzou mentally commented. But in outward response, the young samurai bowed his head and said stiffly, "I merely did my duty."

The commander gave him a paternalistic smile. "You may not know this, but news of your extraordinary valor and surpassing skill has spread far beyond our battalion…"

Kyuuzou did not enjoy listening to flattering words, no matter who they came from.

"What's the practical use of reciting back to me the entire list of my 'war achievements' when they're already on record?" The young man thought. "You're not telling me anything that I don't already know."

Seated sedately in the lieutenant's office, the young corporal wondered what kind of less-than-desirable order or unpleasant news his platoon's CO would give him after the superficial pleasantries were over.

As he expected, Lt. Sakae began working his way towards the true purpose of their conversation.

"You have expressed a disinterest in being rewarded with a rank promotion."

Kyuuzou kept quiet, but when the silence extended two seconds beyond what was the social norm, he realized that the officer was expecting a verbal response from him.

"I have no talent and interest in leading others," spoke the slender youth, his eyes respectfully downcast as social protocol dictated. "There are many of my comrades better suited to become commissioned officers."

"Then what do you desire as a reward?" The officer leaned forward.

"I am not dissatisfied with the bonus pay I was given. I do not ask for more."

"What they say of you is true. You are indeed a true soul who seeks only to better his skill and who does not fight for vainglory."

"Oh, please get to the point." Kyuuzou said inwardly. No, he did not think he was a 'true soul', whatever that might mean. Sensei had once told him, "Those who call themselves wise have by that very act proven themselves unwise; and those who regard their souls as higher than others have by that very thought degraded their own souls."

Lieutenant Sakae beamed at Kyuuzou. "Your legend has spread so far and wide that Lieutenant Colonel Mizoguchi, the commander of the 42nd Battalion, has specially asked our commander Lieutenant Colonel Nakanago to give him your services."

At the word 'legend', the young commoner-turned-samurai felt his skin crawl. The dialog was now reminding him of stories he read as a child, tales of foolish lords and vainglorious warriors being flattered by conniving officials or cunning commoners.

Oblivious, his superior officer went on speaking. "If you are not disagreeable, we will transfer you to the 42nd Battalion. In two weeks, they will leave for Niwa County where the fighting is the fiercest. With a surpassing hero like you in their midst, certainly Hachiman, or whatever the God of War is called in your home state, will smile upon us and give the 42nd the victory they deserve."

"It is an honor for me." Kyuuzou gave the expected reply, his silent realization hidden behind his placid face: So, the gossip had turned out to be true. After the young samurai's dismissed court martial, some of those higher up the chain of command had perceived the presence of him and Ayame _senpai_ as troublesome and saw a solution in separating the two soldiers of commoner origin. So, it had now been decided. He would go, and she would stay.

Now the 'sisterhood' had truly fallen apart. None of the four 'sisters' of Mount Kei'an would fight side by side in the same battalion anymore.

--

Thus the young man left the 43rd , transferred to the 42nd, and went to fight in Niwa County. The God of War proved capricious in his favors. While the Confederated Army samurai managed to drive the enemy back across the border, it was not long before they found themselves in jeopardy. The supply troops they were expecting did not arrive as scheduled. Could previously victorious regiments hang on to their victory?

Desperate and hungry, Kyuuzou's comrades went into villages and commandeered the supplies of the locals. The young man himself refused to enter the peasant homes while his fellow samurai snatched bags of rice and hunks of meat from the houses of terrified commoners. But his mouth and belly did not refuse when the ashigaru in charge of cooking later came up to him and pressed rice balls into his hand.

"Second Sister Mizuho would be so ashamed of me," the unwelcome thought came to Kyuuzou's mind once his stomach stopped growling and he remembered his peasant _senpai_.

"We should repay the peasants once the supply troops arrive," He said to himself. "During the next few engagements with the Allied Forces, I will collect 50 enemy heads. That should improve my bargaining chances when I raise this issue with the commander."

It took 6 border skirmishes before Kyuuzou 'collected' fifty heads –both mecha and human. As he sat in his tent basking in an odd sense of achievement, an idle question flitted across the landscape of his mind like a tiny white butterfly in a flower garden. "Should some people die so that others can eat?"

"What a foolish question," The young man smiled bitterly to himself. "I would have killed those Allied Forces samurai anyway, so that I and my comrades can live."

But it came to pass, Hachiman did not bless the young man's little plan to return what the samurai took from the farmers. The supply troops never came to Niwa. The 42nd Battalion, its food supplies running dangerously low, was forced to retreat to Mangan County. It was there that they learned that their supply caravan had been cut off and routed by the Allied Forces that unexpectedly pushed into the Kendai region.

--

It was not long after the 42nd Battalion returned to their base in Narata when Kyuuzou received a visit from Mizuho of the 51st Squadron. Second Sister, now a mecha warrior, had transferred to the Aerial Assault Unit for almost 21 months by this time. Kyuuzou, Ayame, and Haruko had not seen Mizuho since, but she sent them recorded voice messages every month to let them know how she was doing. Second Sister talked about her battles, the courage of her comrades and the facilities at her base, but pretty much said nothing about the details of day-to-day living as a mecha.

The boy would have liked to visit Second Sister in person, but his heart faltered whenever he realized that things could not quite be the same again. Ayame took Second Sister's decision to mechanize rather badly. Maybe Mizuho and Third Sister did not want to see each other for a while. But twenty months was a long while.

This particular day was the samurai's rest day. Kyuuzou had returned to his barracks after lunch, picked up a period fantasy manga and lay down in bed. He tried to concentrate on reading to pass the time, but his mind was thinking of making a trip to visit Mizuho's 51st Squadron if he could get leave.

"But the timing might not be right for her. She might be out fighting the Raiden of the Allied Forces." He thought. "When can we see her again?"

As if in answer to his silent question, the gentle roar of a Red Spider's engine was heard in the courtyard outside. Kyuuzou looked outside the window to see Mizuho making a landing below. Without delay, the young soldier put down his comic book and trotted downstairs to greet her.

"Kyuu-chan, I would have come to see you earlier if my schedule had allowed." the Red Spider said to the pale boy bowing before her. "Did you receive the final electronic deposit that clears my debt to you?".

"My bank account received it yesterday, o-ne-sama. But your visit pleases me more than any sum of money ever could."

There was a brief silence. Kyuuzou imagined that Mizuho would be smiling if she was still human. The slender human samurai spoke.

"So, o-ne-sama, how is life as a Red Spider?" Kyuuzou felt foolish for asking the question, but he did not know what else to say.

"Well, I don't have to eat or drink anymore." The Red Spider said, "For energy, we use big batteries that our Army makes. I do miss the taste of food… but there is one thing wonderful about this new body. I like being able to fly so high."

Mizuho paused, as if to take a deep breath before speaking again. But Kyuuzou did not hear the breath of the lungless Red Spider when it spoke gushingly of the sights it had seen.

"It is a beautiful, breathtaking world up in the sky. You can see many things – not just on the earth, but in the sky. Above the clouds there are yet more clouds. And I swear the clouds take the shapes of castles, and meadows, and mountains of the most wondrous shapes. Like the strange rock hills of Nakatsu State, only stranger and grander still. It is like walking through a wonder world of white vapor – I wish I could take you there, but a human cannot survive at that height, so we will have to content ourselves with the lower levels of the sky for today."

"Lower levels of the sky?" Kyuuzou looked up at the mecha with questioning red eyes.

"Yes, I would like to take you on a trip into the sky, if you have no other plans for the afternoon." Mizuho said kindly.

"No, O-ne-sama, I have no plans for the day."

The Red Spider opened its palm but the human hesitated. He did not move towards the mecha but stood still hanging his head.

"Is anything wrong?" Mizuho asked.

"In Niwa, I ate food that the samurai took from peasants by force…" Kyuuzou's head was still bowed. "I wanted to repay the farmers later but our supply troops did not come… Mother, Aunt and Sensei would be ashamed of me. That was not what they raised me to do."

"I know you will make things right one day, when you have the means to do so," Second Sister's voice, without judgment, without disappointment, without disgust, echoed gently in the courtyard. "For now, you can do nothing. So come with me."

Kyuuzou, lifting his head, smiled weakly at the Red Spider before hopping onto its open palm. Carefully, Mizuho closed her fingers around the frail figure Turning on her flight boosters, the Benigumo spoke into her radio. "Red Spider 4383 to 42nd Battalion Flight Control. Seeking clearance for takeoff."

The reply came over the mecha's communications system, "Flight Controller to Red Spider 4383. Coordinates noted. All four control areas clear within 10 miles. Departure approved."

The Red Spider slowly ascended the heavens. Kyuuzou looked down – he could see the top of the barracks, then the rest of the base, and then the rest of the town. The buildings became smaller and smaller as they flew higher. The air tasted crisper, cleaner. Miraculously, Kyuuzou felt the worries of the world fall away from him. He stopped staring directly downwards and started casting his eyes around.

The sight took his breath away – vast expanses of blue as far as the eye could see, except when one looked eastward – there, the sky melted into green. People said it had to do with the air quality in the vicinity of Kougakyo.

Secure in the giant robot's hand, Kyuuzou took the time to look carefully around him once more, but this time he cast his sights a little lower – now he could see farms, hills, lakes, rivers and the clouds above them. The soldier never realized that the mundane things of the earth could look so wondrous from another point of view.

"Wow…" he whispered in quiet awe, before turning his head and looking up into the flying Red Spider's mechanical eye.

"My dear younger brother," the Red Spider declared in a pleased tone, "Second Sister hereby gives you the heavens! This is _your _sky!"

Kyuuzou knew that if Mizuho was still human, she would be smiling at this moment. But now he had to content himself with the smile in her voice.

"Thank you!" A ghost of a smile passed across his pale face. "It is beautiful!"

"On days like this, I feel like I can see eternity." Mizuho said in a hushed voice, as if speaking to herself.

"I wish you to live forever, o-ne-sama," Kyuuzou answered in a still, quiet voice.

"I won't live forever, little one," Mizuho replied. "But when I die, I hope the Sky will embrace my spirit."

Then the mecha samurai began to sing softly in the thin air.

_I fly over mountains_

_And across the sea_

_To find a place where we all can be free_

_I know not where I am_

_Or where I will be_

_But a rainbow is waiting for me_

Kyuuzou knew the words of the song. Mizuho had sung it to him many times before. His voice did not join the song, but his lips moved ever so slightly to mouth those familiar words silently.

_The sky may be stormy_

_As far as eye can see_

_But the clouds are a cradle for me_

_I know not who I am_

_And who I will be_

_But the Formless walks beside me_

_I will run to the edge of the sky_

_I will fly to the ends of the sea_

_And even though I have to die_

_The Heavens will open for me…_

"Do I still sing like I used do?" Mizuho asked the younger warrior once the song was finished.

Kyuuzou nodded quietly.

"That's good to know," his senior replied. "I will sing you one more song, and then I should return you to the base. You will catch a chill if you stay up here for too long."

The great war robot started to sing once more.

_When I die_

_I will fly the sky_

_Forever_

_Do not cry_

_For I will always_

_Be your wings_

_And even though_

_We cannot walk _

_Together_

_You will never be alone_

_For I'm not truly gone_

_I'll be watching over you_

_On spirit wings_

For a rare moment in time during the period of madness known as the Great War, both human and machine felt as if they were one with the Sky.


	4. Then and Now

After a brief visit, Mizuho had to return to her squadron.

"Little Brother," she said when she bade Kyuuzou farewell. "You may not hear from me for a while. The enemy squadrons based in Juushuu have been seen scouting our airborne fortresses over Kokuryuu State. My squadron may have to go into battle soon."

"Go in peace, Honorable Older Sister," said Kyuuzou. "May victory be yours."

He knew what lay immediately ahead for the aerial assault units were not mere skirmishes but full scale battles. There had been talk of striking first, taking Juushuu from the Allied Forces before the Allied Forces tried to take Kokuryuu from the Confederated Army.

--

Whenever Katayama Gorobei recalled the battle over the skies of Juushuu, there came to his mind the enemy Red Spider who looked like none of its comrades. On its cannon arm were written the words, "When I raise my head to look at the full moon," and on its sword arm were also words written in smooth brush calligraphy script "I think of my village home."

Two lines of a poem. Gorobei always had an appreciation for the arts.

"Did the Red Spider compose that poem itself?" He wondered. Never before had the tall samurai looked upon a mecha warrior and wondered what kind of soul lived inside the metal hull.

In another time and another place, Gorobei might have bought this poet a drink. But this was the time of war. The full moon was shining overhead, but none of the samurai in this desperate sky battle had the mood to appreciate the moon's beauty. The night sky was lit red by the firepower of a thousand flying mecha warriors.

The intrepid Katayama had piloted his flying cannon-ship towards the heart of the battle where the oddly decorated enemy Red Spider was wreaking much destruction on Gorobei's mecha comrades. That strange mecha samurai moved with a fluid ease unusual for robots, seamlessly transitioning between the use of the sword and the use of the cannon, its aim unfailing and deadly. Mechanization was usually a choice made by samurai who were mediocre or poor fighters. But after a few seconds of watching this robot samurai in action, Gorobei could not help thinking that this warrior must have been even more impressive to watch when he was still human.

"Was he once a peasant?" The silver-haired man wondered at the words "village home."

But he allowed himself no time for further musings, deciding that this former peasant would never again see its village home. After all, the enemy mecha was doing all it could to ensure that Gorobei's comrades would not see their homes again.

It was a dog-eat-dog world out here. Kill or be killed.

Gorobei knew he had to rely on his one advantage over mecha samurai – his speed and his superior reflexes.

--

It had been many weeks since Kyuuzou last had news of Mizuho. But he was not expecting to hear from her, knowing that the Northern Squadrons were engaged in fierce fighting with the Allies.

The 19-year-old was just finishing his cleaning duty in barracks bathroom when the announcement came over the PA system. "The 51st Squadron has returned in victory! They successfully captured the Northwestern Sector after inflicting a 48 percent casualty rate on the enemy!"

The announcer neglected to mention that the casualty rate for his own side was 35 percent. But Kyuuzou could not have known those statistics at that point in time. All he knew was that Second Sister's squadron had won, and she had returned in victory. The 51st Squadron's base was quite far away from his own. He wondered if he could get leave to go visit with her. He had few words to say to his sisters. But still, he occasionally wanted to look upon them, just to see that they were well.

"It is more likely that Mizuho will come to visit me first," he concluded, washing his hands at the sparkling clean bathroom sink and glancing at his reflection in the shiny, spotless mirror.

His non-combat duties for the day completed, Kyuuzou walked back to his room, pleased to have done his job well. Although the young soldier did not consider cleaning chores a great pleasure, it was his habit to apply himself fully to whatever task the moment presented him with.

As he entered the quarters he shared with eight other men, his bunkmate greeted him. "Two samurai came here to see you. They're not from our battalion. I told them you would be back soon. They are now waiting downstairs in the reception area."

"Is one of them mecha?" The crimson-eyed youth asked.

"No," came the reply. "Both are human. One of them is a fellow from Special Forces, I think. Tall guy. The other one is a Light Infantry officer. Female."

--

The moment Kyuuzou entered the reception room, the two samurai waiting for him rose to their feet.

"Can you ask your commanding officer to let you make a three-day trip with us?" Big Sister said briskly. "If he does not approve, let me talk to him."

"When do you expect to leave?" The blond samurai asked. Were they going to visit Mizuho?

"Now." Captain Haruko replied. Kyuuzou looked at Big Sister, confused. What was the big hurry?

"We don't have much time!" Standing by, Third Sister interjected in an anxious tone, her impatience hiding other more disturbing emotions. "They only hold wrecks for three days in the mecha morgue before recycling them. And they don't even bother to tag all the pieces so people could know which piece belongs to which soldier. We need your help to sort through all that scrap metal!"

A wave of sickness rose up in the pit of Kyuuzou's stomach, threatening to erupt over the outward calm of his pale, passionless face.

"Second Sister's parents cannot make the long trip to see her." Ayame spoke with a voice that sounded more screechy than the one Kyuuzou was accustomed to hearing from her. "We managed to get special clearance to retrieve some parts to send to them. Usually the military would not allow that. But since Second Sister had that poem written on her arms, her commander said he would consider the metal on which the poem was written her 'personal property' and let us have them. That is, if there is even anything left of the poem."

Kyuuzou's clenched fists started to shake.

"Direct hit by an enemy cannon ship." Haruko stated matter-of–factly even as her grimly-set jaw trembled almost imperceptibly. "Right in the head. Her brain was totally destroyed."

If a human's brain remained intact, she could survive if she was transplanted to a new body promptly enough. But there was no such hope for Mizuho.

Kyuuzou felt like retching. All of a sudden, his mind was flooded with memories from the time he was still a young novice at the dojo. Second Sister unfailingly appeared at his side to comfort him when he woke up in the night screaming from his nightmares. Sometimes, she would bring him over the girls' room and let him sleep next to her and Ayame. Somehow, between Mizuho's calming aura and Ayame's watchful, protective presence, the child would feel safe enough to drift into deep and dreamless slumber.

19 year old Kyuuzou had long left those days behind, never before wasting his thoughts on nostalgic yearning for times of childish weakness. But at this moment, he felt a wave of sorrow at the thought of a past that could never return, a Mizuho that could never come back to life. Firmly, he pushed his memories away – why dwell in the past when it only exacerbates the pain of the present?

Kyuuzou had once imagined a happy ending for Second Sister. Now the young samurai felt like a fool for even having dared to hope for a pleasant future for someone. Why even dream about the future if dreams were only made to be shattered?

"Is Big Sister now sorry she persuaded Mizuho to join the military?" The young man wondered. Then he reminded himself there was no place for regrets. The past was gone. Life would go on. And death would strike again.

"Which one of us three of them still standing will be the next one to die?" The unbidden question came to his mind, upon which he told himself that there was no point speculating about a future that he could not control.

The young samurai realized that nothing truly belonged to him except the present moment and its uncompromising reality of blood, war and death. He could face the ugliness and handle it. He was strong enough.

--

_A few days later…_

Kyuuzou's roommates looked up at the red-eyed samurai as he entered their room. The silent samurai usually did not bother to talk to them, but they never needed to ask to know that he was in a bad mood. And now they could see that the soldier who had just returned from a 'personal trip' was in a very, very ugly mood. So they turned back to whatever they were doing before and pretended they did not see him.

The crimson-eyed samurai set down the large canvas bag he was carrying.

When I raise my head to look at the full moon,

I think of my village home.

They sent the piece with the words "village home" to Second Sister's parents. The peasant couple had said that they could have the other pieces as keepsakes. Haruko sent the piece with the character "think" to Sensei. Big Sister kept the piece with the word "look". Ayame and Kyuuzou each took one half of "full moon".

Ayame had cried tears of rage and pain but Kyuuzou did not weep. He did not even weep when his mother and aunt died. He was too strong for that. Third Sister could mourn Mizuho for both himself and her. The young man helped Third Sister cut her hair as a sign of mourning for Second Sister. Ayame's locks would grow back but she never again adorned her hair with beads as she did before. Some wounds could never heal. Yet Kyuuzou kept one beaded lock of Ayame's hair – as a keepsake from happier times, and in honor of the mourning that Ayame did on both his and her own behalf for Mizuho.

The young soldier reached into his bag and pulled out a large sheet of metal with the word "moon" painted on it.

The moon would never be full again.

* * *

**Note:**

The 2-line poem is adapted from the last 2 lines of a Tang Dynasty poem by Li Bai.


	5. Fire and Ice

**Warnings:** Brief strong language.

**Disclaimers:**

- Opinions expressed by characters do not necessarily represent author's opinions.

- Do not own Kyuuzou. Ayame and Mizuho are mine. ;-)

- For fun, not for profit.

* * *

The Great War was over sooner than anyone expected. In one fell swoop the Confederated Army had crushed the Allied Forces. Oddly enough, there was little or no resistance to the Feddies' Westward March from some of the Allies' easternmost fortresses. Kyuuzou did not know the reason for that fortunate circumstance – his rank was much too low for him to be privy for that kind of information – all the young samurai knew was that some folks in the high command and in the Intelligence Services must have done something right to minimize the losses for his side. For that he was grateful.

But now that all conquered territories once loyal to the shogun had been declared to be under the authority of the Imperial Court, there was no longer any need for the Confederated Army to exist, at least not at its current size.

In the months following the official declaration of the end of the war, the Army was steadily downsized; merchant financiers being no longer interested in bankrolling the military. Like almost everyone around him, Kyuuzou received notice that he would be discharged. Confederated Army samurai drawn from the state armies assumed that they could return to their military clans, as was the custom. In the past, such returning warriors were usually given rank promotions in their state clans in honor of the service they performed in the combined armed forces. These samurai had been looked upon with admiration - through their service in the Confederated Army, they generally became more well-traveled and more tech-savvy than their fellows who remained in the local armed forces of the prefectures.

However, commoners-turned-samurai like Kyuuzou had no career cushion. Once discharged, he could try to find employment in one of the state-based armies or in the private security forces of the powerful merchant _za_ that governed many of the larger metropolitan areas. Or he could seek a civilian occupation and return to the commoners from which he had risen.

Kyuuzou was not particularly distressed at the prospect of losing the official status of 'samurai'. After four years in the military, the young man had witnessed enough of the behavior of individuals who used a social label to prop up their self-esteem and regard themselves more highly others. Kyuuzou had no strong desire to emulate such people, no matter their rank and worldly achievements. Whatever way the wind blew, the double-sword fighter still intended to continue the daily training of his mind and body just the way he did before.

Nevertheless, even with his quietly disciplined daily schedule, 20 year old Kyuuzou felt bored and uneasy without a clear goal in sight. Now he and his comrades were simply hanging around the camp waiting for their severance paychecks before going their separate ways. It was at this time of enforced idleness that the idea came to Kyuuzou's mind that he wanted to duel Ayame. He had never beaten her before, but the last time they sparred, he was a child of 14 and she was a young woman of 17 years. Things might have changed since then.

He had not seen his senpai since Mizuho's passing last year. Third Sister was still in his old battalion, now serving as a captain. One sunny, breezy morning, Kyuuzou took advantage of his free time to leave his base and visit the fortress where Ayame was stationed. Perhaps she would have time for a duel. A friendly sparring session, of course. Personal duels between samurai were prohibited by the military, but a 'practice match' without the use of 'live' blades was well within regulations. Perhaps they could find some dulled swords in the training hall.

--

After a day of travel, the scarlet-eyed warrior reached the fortress of the 43rd Battalion. He was greeted by rather relaxed sentries who, recognizing him from the time he had spent in the 43rd, cheerfully waved him through the gate after recording his name in the visitor's registry.

Kyuuzou went to the officers' barracks but his senpai was not there. He was told by the other samurai that Captain Ayame had gone to the junior officers' club. In no hurry, Kyuuzou took a leisurely detour through the barracks, stealing a peek at former comrades in their quarters, just to get an idea of who survived the war and who didn't. Quite a number of the samurai who served with him in his first platoon were now junior officers. A few times, the crimson-eyed young man was stopped and greeted by former comrades who filled him on the fates of mutual acquaintances. Some former platoon mates, as he guessed, had been killed in battle. Some had been mechanized and transferred to other battalions. Yet others had already returned to their state clans.

Finally, Kyuuzou bade farewell to his former comrades. The succession of conversations with samurai after samurai proved wearisome to Kyuuzou, despite the fact that each individual exchange had been terse and concise. Escaping from the barracks, the visitor began making his way towards the officer's club house.

Kyuuzou was striding up the covered walkway linking the residential compound to the recreational building when an old comrade Masahiko, long legs flying down the walkway, literally ran into him. The other man seemed in a hurry to get somewhere.

On seeing the slight blond, tall Masahiko exclaimed. "Kyuuzou-dono! It's great that you're here! Ayame-dono had a little too much sake I think, and now there is a fight in the junior officers' clubroom … Go stop your sister before she kills someone! I was going to call the military police but it would be better if we can keep them out of this. Or charges will be filed for sure…"

Kyuuzou did not know what the man was talking about. But he could gather that his sister was drunk and incensed - a bad combination.

"Now which idiot (or idiots) is it who pissed her off this time? He (they) must be really drunk too, or really dumb, or both." Kyuuzou thought. He was 95 percent sure the culprit had to be a 'he'. There weren't too many 'she's in the army to start with.

The skinny samurai sprinted down the wide corridors of the recreational building, with Masahiko trailing behind him. There were no guards at the door of the officers' clubroom. They were probably inside watching the fight. Dashing in, Kyuuzou caught sight of Ayame facing off with 6 male samurai who had looks of both fight and fear on their faces.

No one in the club was carrying swords. Wisely, the military had set the regulation that no weapons were to be brought into venues where alcohol was consumed. But Ayame was resourceful; she had a broken sake bottle in each hand and was pointing one jagged bottle at her opponents. The male samurai were also armed with various dining hall objects such as forks and sake bottles.

Captain Ayame was not without backup. There were two female lieutenants behind her, holding forks and chopsticks which they were quite capable of using to cause hurt. But the expression on their faces was one of reluctance and anxiety. They would not fight unless they had to.

The remaining samurai, mostly male, were grouped behind the 6 men facing Ayame. But they too looked reluctant to join the brawl.

"The war is just over. Must people start fighting again?" Some of the bystanders muttered. "But perhaps there are just some samurai who live to fight. Take the war away and they find something else to fight about."

Despite their disapproval, the bystanders did not dare to intervene. Ayame, notorious for her ugly temper, was one of those prized soldiers everyone wanted to have on their side and NOT on the other side – she was a berserker. It was precisely this rare and valuable quality that caused the commanders to turn a blind eye to the star officer's occasionally problematic anger. This trait went hand in hand with the useful battle frenzy this samurai could so easily call forth.

"You filthy maggots! Your species is so devoid of compassion that I sometimes wonder if you're really human!" Kyuuzou's Third Sister was now screaming. "I know how to reduce the violent crime rate of this planet by 95 percent – make me Amanushi and I will deport all of you to the moon! You stinking pieces of shit!!"

"Is Third Sister out of her mind?" Kyuuzou was alarmed. "Expressing a desire to be Emperor could form the basis for a charge of high treason! Previous rulers had ignored cases of intoxicated or mentally handicapped people of humble rank making similar illegal remarks, largely because the old Amanushis didn't consider such foolishness a threat. But we can't take the magnanimity of the current Amanushi for granted! How do I get her to stop talking?"

Ayame's imperial aspirations aside, the rest of her speech did not sit well with the young man either. Kyuuzou had heard it said that when people are drunk they say things they don't mean. Yet he had also been told that when people are intoxicated, they would state what they really think. For just a moment, Kyuuzou wondered which case would apply to Ayame's current outburst and whether she would deport him to the moon too if she were Amanushi. But he told himself that it was a pointless question. Ayame would never be Amanushi. And much as the words pricked him, Kyuuzou was too proud to ask for Ayame's consideration or beg for her favor.

But there was no time for Kyuuzou to contemplate further. Now the female samurai was wielding the broken bottles like she would her twin swords. She scattered the 6 male officers like leaves and zoomed in on one particular man. With a maniacal glint in her eye, the dark woman chased him right up to the wall. She looked set to jam the jagged edges of her broken sake bottle into the other samurai's face when Kyuuzou rushed between them.

The sharp edge of the bottle came to an abrupt halt two inches from Kyuuzou's scarlet eyes. Yet the steely warrior did not blink or flinch. The onlookers, in amazement, exclaimed at his calmness and courage.

Kyuuzou, however, did not think he did anything worth exclaiming about. He trusted his own reflexes. And even more, he had faith in Ayame's skill. He knew she could stop in time and that she would not hurt him - at least not on purpose. Nevertheless, it was a big gamble to put himself in the way of a berserker blinded by rage.

"What are you doing? I almost killed you!" The dark-haired woman roared at Kyuuzou, but she lowered the jagged sake bottle. Bending slightly, the young man whispered something in her ear, something the onlookers could not hear.

As the soldiers watched with bated breath, the captain's eyes narrowed. The corners of her already down-turned mouth dipped even lower. Looking past Kyuuzou's shoulder, she fixed her angry golden eyes on her intended victim again. The man was suspended between relief and apprehension. Was the crisis over, or should he still fear for his life?

Quietly, Kyuuzou took the fierce samurai's arm. "Let's go, ne-san," he said in a nearly inaudible voice. "I need to talk to you."

Without another word, the two samurai – one dark, one pale; one like raging fire, the other like cool ice – turned and walked out of the trashed club room.

--

"I don't know what he did, but is that loser worth getting the death penalty over?" Kyuuzou had whispered in Ayame's ear with a voice loud enough only for the two of them to hear.

Once back in Ayame's room, Kyuuzou brewed a pot of green tea for the drunk and angry soldier and cautiously asked Third Sister what happened before he came to the club house. Ayame said the officers were having a conversation over a few drinks when the topic turned to the subject of war crimes.

"Now that we'll all be discharged soon, I wonder if the military will have time to charge and discipline all samurai accused of offences during the war." One female lieutenant was saying.

Another samurai woman replied. "I've heard that discharged soldiers are not under the jurisdiction of military court. This means justice will have to be sought through the civilian court system."

Ayame added her thoughts. "Some fish might just escape the net… I should like to see all those soldiers on both sides who raped civilians be severely punished. Death penalty would be nice."

This was when one of the male captains, some samurai named Takeshi, cut in. "Captain Ayame, you need to cut your comrades some slack. Samurai having their way with peasants and townswomen… is very common. It has happened for thousands of years. It is the only reward that men can get after having stared death in the face on the battlefield."

"Oh, how come I have never needed such a reward?" Ayame's rage was rising.

"You're a woman. You don't need what we need." The other captain replied in as civil a tone as he could muster when he looked at the woman's scowling face. "You don't understand."

Ayame rose sharply from the table, sake bottle in one hand. With her other hand, she pointed right at the man's nose.

"No, you are the one who does not understand!" The female samurai glared down at Takeshi. "Oh, it's to be expected. It's so everyday and common that it is not of any more import than having your CD player ripped out of your iron-ox carriage, right? Just wait till it happens to your mother, sister or daughter. And then you'll be saying it's an outrage, then you will not be asking me to cut the criminals some slack."

The men were speechless.

"Don't tell me you authorized something like that," Ayame stared coldly at Takeshi. "Because if you did, I'm going to kill you."

"No, of course not!" The other officer replied testily.

"Really?" The woman's yellow eyes narrowed.

Takeshi barely managed to dodge as Ayame sought to bring the sake bottle down on his head. If not for the fact that the golden-eyed samurai was drunk and her movements not as precise as they usually were, the man would be by now in very bad shape. But an intoxicated Ayame was still an opponent to be reckoned with. Before anyone knew it, the officers' club house erupted into a melee of breaking bottles, flying dishes, overturned tables and shouting samurai.

"So, that was what happened," Ayame said to the younger samurai. Kyuuzou stole a glance at his senpai's face. She was still scowling. So it was that matter again. He did not blame her for being angry.

"But is that level of reaction necessary?" Kyuuzou wondered.

It disturbed the cold samurai to watch the hot-tempered warrior's out-of-control, destructive trajectory. Kyuuzou silently prayed that she would not get into another drunken brawl before the date of her honorable discharge, which was coming soon anyway. Now that there were no more battles to be fought, the military authorities no longer had reason to tolerate the captain's anger management issues. Even a super-soldier like Ayame was now dispensable. She would not be able to escape the consequences of her aggressive conduct as easily as she did before.

Standing on the cusp between boyhood and manhood, Kyuuzou was already wise enough to know that the age of the warrior was over.

The silent samurai knew Ayame's anger probably all went back to that unhappy day eight years ago, when he was 12 and she was 15. The day Third Sister tried to save the peasant woman and instead killed the victim together with the perpetrator. Little Kyuuzou was there when the girl fell on her knees in despair beside the woman she had slain but had no power to bring back to life. All this would not have happened if men did not do what men always do.

In fact, many things would not have happened if men were not so well-known for their cruelty. Aunt Rumi would not have killed herself when the soldiers entered their house. Kyuuzou quickly pushed that memory back into the subconscious.

But apparently Ayame was not like him. It seemed that she had not allowed herself to forget the grief of the past for even one day. Since that day in Kuroki Village, Third Sister smiled less and got angry more often. "The problem with Ayame," thought the fair-headed samurai, "is that she wants something she can never have. She wants a world in which people don't rape and enslave each other. And when she does not get what she wants, she gets frustrated and angry."

Kyuuzou himself had chosen not to want anything too strongly. Sure, he wanted - or rather needed - food, clean water and shelter like any other human. But beyond that, he tried not to think too deeply. For if he did, there were troubling things lingering at the back of his mind – shadows from the past waiting to assault his consciousness.

Now, looking at Ayame's irate expression, the young man wished Mizuho was still alive. Second Sister was the only one who could chase Third Sister's demons away, even if only for a little while.

The usually vocal Ayame was at that moment silent. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Behind her lids she saw the face of the woman whose name she did not even get to learn before she left that corpse behind. There was a look of surprise on that dead face. It was an expression that Ayame could never forget. It was like the woman did not see it coming, did not even know what killed her. Every slaying that Ayame made since that day, she made it an offering to the memory of this nameless peasant. By some bizarre logic, the warrior woman thought she could atone for blood with more blood. But more was never enough. Yet somehow, she felt the power to kill could perhaps make up for the fact that she had not the power to save.

At long last, Kyuuzou's soft voice broke the silence.

"Ne-san, your guilt is your demon."

Fiery topaz eyes turned to meet cold ruby orbs. Kyuuzou surmised that Ayame was now annoyed at being addressed on equal terms by her junior. But he was not the child he used to be and saw no reason to bow before her anger, unless it was something he justly earned.

Yet at this moment, Kyuuzou could not quite read the mood behind the quirk of her lips. Perhaps it was annoyance, perhaps it was sarcasm, perhaps it was even empathy. Or, for all he knew, a combination of all three.

"And you, Kyuuzou, _what_ is your demon?" The other warrior asked him in return.

**

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**

Notes:

- For the incident Kyuuzou recalls here, see Wolf Warriors.

- The "your demon" exchange is inspired by a dialogue in Himalaya, in which a character says, "his grief is his demon," and the other replies, "And you… what is your demon?"

On the subject of real world female berserkers, the king of Dahomey (in Benin) once kept an all-female army (a mirror organization to his male army) in which the soldiers went through 'desensitization' training (that is, they were shown gory sights – including human sacrifice) so that they could kill without blinking. These women could kill with their hands and teeth even when disarmed. They were said to be much more vicious and dangerous than the men. You can read about them in the book _Amazons of Black Sparta- the Women Warriors of Dahomey_. But I wasn't thinking of them when I was writing Ayame. (there are many other real world humans who freely practice such 'tooth-and-nail' techniques in life and death situations)


	6. Restitution and Duty

**Notes:**

Minor OC Kazumi (NO one's love interest) first appears in Wolf Warriors chapters "Scent of Death" and "Fallen Hero". She reappears towards the end of the main fic Retribution.

**Warning:** OC of ambiguous gender identity

* * *

A month after the official end of the great war, strange tales started circulating among the peasants in Niwa County, Hironishi Prefecture. Unexplained strings of cash suddenly appeared in the houses of villagers. This mysterious money was usually placed in a food bowl or in a closet . Accompanying the modest sum of cash was a piece of paper containing writing in the Common Script of the Empire.

Very few of the Hironishian farmers could read the so-called Common Script originating from the language of the Amanushi's ethnic group. Of those peasants that had some schooling, most were only literate in their native language, though they could speak the Common Tongue with reasonably fluency. So this incomprehensible piece of writing caused as much confusion as the mysterious money it accompanied.

Puzzled, the peasants brought the strange notes before the chieftains and the learned people of their villages, upon which the writing was translated from the Common Tongue:

"This is one person's apology for the looting done by samurai who came here during the war. I am not acting in any official capacity, and I humbly acknowledge that this compensation is insufficient."

The notes were unsigned. Upon further examination, a village chief found the multiple notes to be identical – and not just in content. One of prominent farmers, a woman who had charge of negotiating trade contracts with merchants, looked over the sheets and said, "They are photocopies."

"Photocopies?" Not all the peasants knew what they were.

To discuss this strange matter, the chieftains of five villages convened under the ancient flame tree in Mansai Valley. The peasant leaders, after exchanging the stories of their constituents, came to determine that no less than 800 households had received these bizarre monetary gifts. Who was responsible for this? No one knew for sure, but some of the young children said they had seen a strange samurai pass through their villages during the times when the people of full age were all out working in the fields.

"He was a young man with the coloring of an Easterling and the garb of a Southlander," they said. "Carried two swords in a strangely-shaped red scabbard. Spoke to no one."

The chiefs sought to find this pale-skinned, pale-haired stranger, but by that time, the nameless young samurai had disappeared from Niwa without a trace.

--

_In the neutral city of Sai'an, 6 weeks after the official end of the Great War…_

Young Kazumi sat silently on the matted floor of the orphanage classroom in Sai'an City, the lesson being delivered by her teacher filtering through her ears like irrelevant noise.

Four years ago, the kind samurai aunty from Platoon 3, 6th Company, 43rd Battalion found her and brought her to this orphanage. Aunty Mizuho had written letters to her every month since. Kazumi looked forward to those letters. They were a bright spark in a world gone mad. In fact, the orphaned peasant child had enthusiastically learned to read primarily so that she could understand Mizuho's letters.

Then Aunty Mizuho switched from written letters to taped voice recordings. "I have grown a lot bigger and can't write letters anymore. But if and when we meet again, you will see that I am still the same within," the female soldier explained in her message.

Kazumi had no complaints. The important thing was the nice lady still remembered her. Aunty Mizuho once told her: "If you're still here when the war ends, and if I'm still alive, I will come back to take you to live with me."

Those words offered so much hope to a young soul whose loved ones had been destroyed with such sudden savagery. Indeed, Kazumi lived for the promise held by Mizuho's words.

But around half a year ago, the messages stopped arriving. Kazumi felt a stab of pain each time the mail delivery came by and there was nothing for her. But the child always consoled herself, "The nice samurai aunty must be very busy. She has very important work to do in the war. Aunty Mizuho will send news again when she has time."

By now it had been weeks since the war ended, and there was still no news from the samurai aunty. A heavy doubt weighed heavily on the child's mind day after day.

"Why?" She wondered as she twiddled her thumbs in the classroom. "Has Aunty forgotten me?"

Kazumi's mental meanderings were cut short by a tap on the classroom door. Popping her head into the room, staff member Kiyoko politely interrupted the teacher. The two women, after exchanging a few quiet words, turned to Kazumi.

"Kazumi," her teacher said. "Please go with Miss Kiyoko. She has news for you."

Obediently, the 10-year-old rose to her feet and followed Kiyoko into the hallway.

"A samurai wishes to take custody of you," Miss Kiyoko explained. "Our principal has verified her documentation and identity. She was an officer in the platoon that rescued you from your village. She even has a letter of reference from the daimyo of Nankai Prefecture. If you wish to, you may leave with her."

A broad smile of utter relief and joy broke across Kazumi's face.

"Is the samurai lady here?" She asked eagerly.

Miss Kiyoko nodded kindly at the child. "She is in the reception room now. Come, I'll take you to her."

Bursting with gladness, Kazumi trotted ahead of Miss Kiyoko to the reception room. But upon reaching the open door, she halted abruptly. There was a samurai sitting there, but it was not the one she was waiting for.

"Is that the samurai 'lady'?!" She wanted to ask Miss Kiyoko. "That's a man!"

The person sitting in the room was certainly not Mizuho. This was tall officer she saw in her village 4 years ago. He was an unfriendly, bitter-looking fellow. Kazumi didn't like him much then. She did not think she liked him much now either.

Now the samurai cast his unreadable obsidian eyes on her. In confusion, the child turned to Miss Kiyoko, who had only just caught up with her. But the orphanage worker did not notice her charge's discomfort. She was beaming at the visitor.

"Go ahead, o-samurai-sama, please give Little Kazumi the news," The woman said to the person wearing twin swords across his back.

Having received a nod of approval from Miss Kiyoko, the samurai proceeded to address Kazumi in a rather businesslike manner. "I'm going back to the school where Mizuho-dono and I used to study. If you like, you can come with me. I do not guarantee you an easy life. You will have to work hard at cooking and cleaning, but you will have food, clothing and shelter. Then if you show yourself to be worth teaching, maybe I will teach you the way of the sword."

Kazumi gaped at the near-stranger for a few seconds before regaining enough composure to respond. "Mizuho-dono said she was going to come back for me after the war."

"Kazumi…" Miss Kiyoko, somewhat taken aback by Kazumi's direct, uncompromising tone, addressed the child with a hint of warning in her voice while giving the samurai an apologetic smile.

In her shock, Kazumi had forgotten to be polite and had spoken in a manner inappropriate for her age and station. But the discharged army officer was apparently unperturbed by the seeming boldness of the youngster.

"Mizuho-dono will not come," The warrior stated plainly, looking Kazumi in the eye.

"Why won't she come?" Kazumi was starting to feel even more uneasy. "Where is she?"

The broad-shouldered samurai did not answer the child's question. Instead the warrior said, "You don't have to come with me. But I would like to do for you what Mizuho would have done, if she had been able to come back for you. The choice is yours."

As the strange words sank in, Kazumi finally understood. There was only one reason why Mizuho was not able to come back for her.

The former Major Haruko sat silently with her head bowed while the reception room echoed with the wails of a child.


End file.
